Interview with Alex Modny and Eric Musco on Bad Feeling Podcast

[alexsamma]

Hi Alex,

 

re: 2018 for ranked. It's a good change. However as an op healer, I run 2 piece PvE that bolsters to 2018 in arena. Will my ability to queue for team ranked be affected?

 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Team ranked should have zero restriction for queuing, players have full control over what they are queuing with in team ranked environment.

 

Also want to point out that aoe's not stopping caps seems like a very stupid idea.

[Shwarzchild]

These changes will definitely take me from part time pvp player to a much more active player. I got my exhumed set before and just kind of lost the will to play after that whole grind. This sounds way better in regards to gear. Way better. I absolutely love the new "grind" they're introducing in the tokens. That's a grind I will gladly partake in. It almost reminds me of grinding rep which I enjoy for the most part.

 

The node capture thing is a bad idea on the surface. That one is the only point I'd really hope doesn't get out of testing.

[VaeVictis]

Most of that seems awesome, but the bit about AoEs not breaking caps.... I'm not sure whether that will make games more dynamic or just plain awful. I hope a lot of people log on to test that.

 

A good change IMO, it'll definitely reward smart players who los when capping. Kind of depends on what counts as AoE...I have no problem with Force Storm, Oribital, DoA, etc not stopping caps but an attack that requires a target like Thermal Grenade should at least stop the targeted player.

[ForceWelder]

AOE not breaking cap is really a bad idea. You have to then always have line of sight to target a capper. The nodes themselves will lend defense to a capper and if you have two cappers, it all but ensures that the node gets taken each time. This will force teams to dedicate two defenders / node, which could drag out fights crazy long on a third node due to lack of team members.

 

And with Operatives, they have a ranged stunned. This allows them to use it, move out of line of sight of the defender and all but ensure a cap. The defender, if their cc is on cooldown, can't respond fast enough if they can't AOE the node. this would give this class an unfair advantage in capping nodes.

 

This would also create problems with partial teams as they simply won't have the coverage to guard nodes such as in Voidstar. All but guarantees a lost if they face a full team.

 

And then of course you have a class like the sage with a huge diameter AOE that does practically no damage since the last nerf. Take away the ability to help control nodes, and this ability all but becomes useless in PVP. You might as well reduce the diameter and give it the punch it once had. At least then it would be good for something.

[AlexModny]

Hi Alex,

 

re: 2018 for ranked. It's a good change. However as an op healer, I run 2 piece PvE that bolsters to 2018 in arena. Will my ability to queue for team ranked be affected?

 

Hello Jaiyne,

 

If you have less than 2018 Expertise when you attempt to queue you will not be allowed and a GUI message will appear. However, after you queue or when you get into the match you may change out your gear if you want. We have the problem of players entering the queue that aren't ready to compete stat wise so providing a check prevents them from getting into the queue and potentially having a negative impact on their team (and a 'free kill' for the opponents). We still want players to have the ability to customize and min/max their gear setup so we didn't want to take that away, just provide a check to make sure they are experienced in PvP beforehand. Hope that helps!

[Floplag]

99% of this is great news, little worried about the AoE on caps though as others have said youll just have teams running in voidstar saying all left and just cap... ill give them credit for hopefully considering this.

 

More than anything else we need a couple of balance tweaks or the rest wont have the impact they hope, but that having seen said i think its nice that we are actually getting some news

[Jaiyne]

Hope that helps!

 

It does. Thanks! I will just put on my stock pieces and then switch out when I get in there, I guess. I don't really think this should be in place for teams (we all choose to be with the people we are q'ing with) but it's just a small inconvenience really.

 

Do appreciate all the interaction with the community. Means a lot!

[AlexModny]

AOE not breaking cap is really a bad idea. You have to then always have line of sight to target a capper. The nodes themselves will lend defense to a capper and if you have two cappers, it all but ensures that the node gets taken each time. This will force teams to dedicate two defenders / node, which could drag out fights crazy long on a third node due to lack of team members.

 

And with Operatives, they have a ranged stunned. This allows them to use it, move out of line of sight of the defender and all but ensure a cap. The defender, if their cc is on cooldown, can't respond fast enough if they can't AOE the node. this would give this class an unfair advantage in capping nodes.

 

This would also create problems with partial teams as they simply won't have the coverage to guard nodes such as in Voidstar. All but guarantees a lost if they face a full team.

 

And then of course you have a class like the sage with a huge diameter AOE that does practically no damage since the last nerf. Take away the ability to help control nodes, and this ability all but becomes useless in PVP. You might as well reduce the diameter and give it the punch it once had. At least then it would be good for something.

 

One clarification that I'd like to make is that AoE DAMAGE abilities will no longer interrupt a capture, AoE CC will still interrupt however. Your points are still valid but we encourage everyone who is suspect of this change to play in on PTS when it comes up with 3.3. Like we said in the podcast, if this is change has a negative impact on gameplay we will make adjustments but from our internal playtests this has been a positive change. We are looking forward to your feedback and sharing of experiences with this and all the other changes coming!

[Rogth-Lesai]

Hi AlexModny,

Here is a little question about the AOE's not interrupting.

Will bump be counted as an AOE and not interrupt people ? As people are pushed away out of range of the cast zone it seems it must still interrupt. BUT... then people with an AOE bump can interrupt group of people, but people with a multi-target bump or just have no bump (vanguard for examples) are then not balance as they can interrupt multiple people at the same time from capturing an objective.

 

How will this be able to be balanced ?

 

As lots of other comments before, i find the AOE not interrupting capture, being "stupid" :s

 

Thank you if you can bring me an answer and have a nice day.

 

Edit : Ok you posted in the meantime while I was writing that. I don't know every class in the game, but i guess all that has no bump for multiple targets have this multiple target CC. Right ?

Edited May 28, 2015 by Rogth-Lesai

[MorgenBlue]

One clarification that I'd like to make is that AoE DAMAGE abilities will no longer interrupt a capture, AoE CC will still interrupt however. Your points are still valid but we encourage everyone who is suspect of this change to play in on PTS when it comes up with 3.3. Like we said in the podcast, if this is change has a negative impact on gameplay we will make adjustments but from our internal playtests this has been a positive change. We are looking forward to your feedback and sharing of experiences with this and all the other changes coming!

 

All I keep hearing is "try it on the PTS". How do you expect to get people to try it on the PTS? No one tried the Civil war changes when that happened.

[AlexModny]

It does. Thanks! I will just put on my stock pieces and then switch out when I get in there, I guess. I don't really think this should be in place for teams (we all choose to be with the people we are q'ing with) but it's just a small inconvenience really.

 

Do appreciate all the interaction with the community. Means a lot!

 

Should have stated this earlier, my apologies! The Expertise check is only on Ranked Solo queue. Groups can play in their undies if they want

[Cinerous]

Eric/Alex,

 

Have you guys considered making the ranked tokens you get from team ranked 2x or 3x the amount of tokens you get from solo ranked? I know a lot of ppl will most likely cry, but team ranked is the highest level of pvp in this game, so this would (in theory anyway) encourage people to queue team ranked as opposed to solo ranked.

 

Or do you guys have some other plans to encourage the team ranked queue? Perhaps the fabled better than cross server? :rak_03:

 

Thoughts Eric/Alex?

[JourrnoRush]

6. RANKED CHANGE: Starting in Season 6, the way ranked rewards are distributed are being changed. You will now be getting ranked tokens which you can trade in for a variety of different rewards. The amount you get at the end of the season is based on your rating, but you also will get tokens after every ranked match. A bronze player could theoretically get enough tokens to get the gold speeder, but they would need to play A LOT of games. However, there will still be one exclusive reward per rating tier. Top 96 players get one of every item.

 

This is a good idea.

 

More participation is always better. By allowing a "special snowflake" reward for those with certain tiers will keep the hardcore ranked (exists?) players happy.

 

However, the amount of tokens required needs to be released sooner than later. Not beginning, because people will just get their matches then quit, but before the end of the season imo. Maybe 2-3 weeks out?

[Fellow-Canadian]

AOE not breaking cap is really a bad idea. You have to then always have line of sight to target a capper. The nodes themselves will lend defense to a capper and if you have two cappers, it all but ensures that the node gets taken each time. This will force teams to dedicate two defenders / node, which could drag out fights crazy long on a third node due to lack of team members.

 

And with Operatives, they have a ranged stunned. This allows them to use it, move out of line of sight of the defender and all but ensure a cap. The defender, if their cc is on cooldown, can't respond fast enough if they can't AOE the node. this would give this class an unfair advantage in capping nodes.

 

This would also create problems with partial teams as they simply won't have the coverage to guard nodes such as in Voidstar. All but guarantees a lost if they face a full team.

 

And then of course you have a class like the sage with a huge diameter AOE that does practically no damage since the last nerf. Take away the ability to help control nodes, and this ability all but becomes useless in PVP. You might as well reduce the diameter and give it the punch it once had. At least then it would be good for something.

 

You do not need 2 defenders. Ever.

 

People who don't know how to guard a node will stand right next to the node. People who know what they're doing will stand far enough away but still within reach to stop a cap. That way if you are sapped by a stealther they cannot reach the node in time to cap before you snap out of it.

 

What separates good players from bad ones is the good ones use positioning correctly in PVP. Spamming AE to prevent caps takes no skill. Just push a button every few seconds and you can stop their whole team from capping. This change will introduce a dynamic where players can use line of sight to protect their cap and their teammates can now peel to prevent opponents from getting within line of sight.

[Lhancelot]

All I keep hearing is "try it on the PTS". How do you expect to get people to try it on the PTS? No one tried the Civil war changes when that happened.

 

So, I never involved myself with PTS... I think I want to be a part of this if that's one way to have a bigger impact on what gets changed and what does not.

 

My question is, how do you know what is being tested on PTS, and when it's being tested on PTS? Where do we find this info?

 

Maybe if it was easier to find this information more people would be a part of PTS?

[JourrnoRush]

Eric/Alex,

 

Have you guys considered making the ranked tokens you get from team ranked 2x or 3x the amount of tokens you get from solo ranked? I know a lot of ppl will most likely cry, but team ranked is the highest level of pvp in this game, so this would (in theory anyway) encourage people to queue team ranked as opposed to solo ranked.

 

Or do you guys have some other plans to encourage the team ranked queue? Perhaps the fabled better than cross server? :rak_03:

 

Thoughts Eric/Alex?

 

I would say no, because since tokens = rewards allowing x2 or x3 tokens in group will make people want to win trade even more. Keeping it the same across both ranked match types will reduce the need to win trade.

 

Its understandable that an increased amount of teams is ideal, but I don't think increasing rewards would be best.

[raidlegend]

I like the fact that you made 2018 expertise a requirement, but also made it that much easier to get. Great changes and cant wait to see more participation in the ranked environment

[AlexModny]

Eric/Alex,

 

Have you guys considered making the ranked tokens you get from team ranked 2x or 3x the amount of tokens you get from solo ranked? I know a lot of ppl will most likely cry, but team ranked is the highest level of pvp in this game, so this would (in theory anyway) encourage people to queue team ranked as opposed to solo ranked.

 

Or do you guys have some other plans to encourage the team ranked queue? Perhaps the fabled better than cross server? :rak_03:

 

Thoughts Eric/Alex?

 

Good question Cinerous. It is a balancing act because we want to encourage players into Group Ranked but we strive to design systems where a player doesn't feel he has to do a X activity over Y activity to get to the same result. So we don't want to make the 'grind' in grouped rank so much easier that solo queue is seen as the 'lesser' option. We are looking at options for encouraging Group Ranked (and would love to hear your feedback and ideas) but have no set designs at this time.

[JSitruc]

for the aoe not breaking caps... make it so nodes can only be clicked by 2 or 3 players at a time. this would be more manageable if the entire team runs to a node and all clicks at the same time.

 

still think this is a dumb idea, but just my 2 cents

[Technohic]

Eric/Alex,

 

Have you guys considered making the ranked tokens you get from team ranked 2x or 3x the amount of tokens you get from solo ranked? I know a lot of ppl will most likely cry, but team ranked is the highest level of pvp in this game, so this would (in theory anyway) encourage people to queue team ranked as opposed to solo ranked.

 

Or do you guys have some other plans to encourage the team ranked queue? Perhaps the fabled better than cross server? :rak_03:

 

Thoughts Eric/Alex?

 

As someone who has never done group ranked in either iteration, I think this would be a great idea. If we are to encourage participation, group is probably what should be the most serious and demanding, providing better rewards to go with it and YOLO should be the more inviting all inclusive, which goes back to my expanding YOLO to include 8v8 warzones as it broadens the spectrum to classes that otherwise do not fair so well on their own in a death match. Regs can remain casual for learning, gearing, or just having fun with guildies.

[TUXs]

One clarification that I'd like to make is that AoE DAMAGE abilities will no longer interrupt a capture, AoE CC will still interrupt however. Your points are still valid but we encourage everyone who is suspect of this change to play in on PTS when it comes up with 3.3. Like we said in the podcast, if this is change has a negative impact on gameplay we will make adjustments but from our internal playtests this has been a positive change. We are looking forward to your feedback and sharing of experiences with this and all the other changes coming!

 

This is a really interesting change.

 

My initial reaction was "HELL NO"...but...I can see it making play far more dynamic than it currently is. I'm willing to give this a try. I'm glad you guys are thinking about things like this.

 

While you're looking...please take a look at Commando's DCD's...they need help.

[HaoZhao]

7. AOE's in warzones can no longer interrupt captures. Justification is that it will make stalemates less common. (they would like some feedback on this)

 

This is going to be really disruptive in Voidstar. Once the bomb is put onto the door, it can be pulled off really, really fast. When there are multiple smart alecs trying to pull it off at once, AOE damage is usually the only thing that's able to manage them. If the development team is going forward with this change, it definitely needs to also consider doubling the time it takes to remove a placed bomb. If anything, this change might result in MORE Voidstar stalemates because of increased cases where planted bombs are removed before they detonate.

Edited May 28, 2015 by HaoZhao

[Cinerous]

I would say no, because since tokens = rewards allowing x2 or x3 tokens in group will make people want to win trade even more. Keeping it the same across both ranked match types will reduce the need to win trade.

 

Its understandable that an increased amount of teams is ideal, but I don't think increasing rewards would be best.

 

I see what you're saying and while I don't disagree with you, bioware is saying they have basically killed win trading for the most part, so as long as they continue doing that, it might be possible for a change like that to work. I don't know I'm just throwing out ideas to get people to queue team ranked

[SomeJagoff]

Hey everyone, I hope y'all enjoy the podcast. Chuck and Brian are awesome and I hope you enjoy their show (and don't find my ummmming too obnoxious ). Despite Chuck's protest it really was an honor to be on their show and it was very special for me personally.

 

There is a lot of information on the changes that we covered and we are going to make an official post about all the changes next week but until then please ask away if you have questions about the podcast that I can answer.

 

Ummmmmm, cheers!

 

Hey Alex, just listened to the podcast, gotta say, I'm very impressed with these changes. I'm pleased that you've taken action to address population, both in ranked and in unranked, ranked participation specifically (the token exchange sounds like a really good idea, in that it will encourage people to keep playing and playing well so that they can accumulate more tokens), and general health (2018 expertise is definitely a good anti-troll measure as well prevents people from "accidentally" queuing ranked, though please continue to enforce bans against determined trolls who bypass this as well). Hands down, the reduction of cost of pvp gear is a MAJOR quality of life change, especially for those who pvp on more than 1 toon, so thank you.

 

One question along that line I have if you're able to answer: is the difference in the amount of max comms (assuming 8+ medals) for wins/losses across all maps going to be adjusted (doubled, like in double pvp comms event last year)/normalized (140 per win, 80 per loss across ALL maps, instead of just some)?

 

Example: Ancient Hypergates Wins around 140 comms, Ancient Hypergate Loss is around 120 comms, same with Arenas, all relatively short match types. Other maps, however, i.e., 15min voidstar win = ~120 comms and 15min voidstar loss = ~70 comms. I'm not sure if this is a bug or if it's by design, but it certainly seems counter-intuitive that you could potentially get 140 comms in ~5mins from winning an arena, but only 120 comms in ~15mins from winning a much longer voidstar match.

 

These look like pretty solid changes though, Well Done, I must say. This should encourage a lot more people to pvp without it feeling like a grind to gear up and hopefully reduce queue times for both unranked and ranked. Keep up the Good work, Alex!

[AlexModny]

So, I never involved myself with PTS... I think I want to be a part of this if that's one way to have a bigger impact on what gets changed and what does not.

 

My question is, how do you know what is being tested on PTS, and when it's being tested on PTS? Where do we find this info?

 

Maybe if it was easier to find this information more people would be a part of PTS?

 

We don't have a date for 3.3 PTS yet but when we do we will make a post and let everyone know.